


Turning a Blind Eye

by renegade_of_theworld



Series: From the Ashes [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: (and starvation), (in literally every case), (more later) - Freeform, Aftermath of Torture, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Bonding, Canon-Typical Violence, Friendship, Gen, Healing, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), Hurt/Comfort, Injured Zuko (Avatar), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Scribe! Zuko, Slow Burn, Zuko (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Zuko and the Maids are best bros, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zuko made a huge step forward it would be bad if something happened, Zuko-Centric (Avatar), his writing is 'too perfect'
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-23
Packaged: 2021-03-27 17:54:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30126636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/renegade_of_theworld/pseuds/renegade_of_theworld
Summary: Zuko - or rather Lee - became a scribe in the Beifong's estate. It's a fresh start, with a solid cover story, no disgrace, and failure attached to his name. Yet, he still tries to find a way to make things right, to regain all that he's lost. He hasn't given up on being himself.His plans get interrupted by a blind girl, definitely too enthusiastic about illegal fighting rings.orZuko being a scribe, slow-burn bond with the greatest earthbender, and whooops! No one called the Gaang but they finally arrived (Zuko is not pleased).
Relationships: The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Zuko, Zuko & Beifong's staff
Series: From the Ashes [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1880728
Comments: 171
Kudos: 305





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> "Rock Bottom" summary at the end!
> 
> Not native speaker, so feel free to point out more obvious mistakes! (sometimes the word choices get funny, wait for it and have a good laugh)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLLLO!!!! 
> 
> Damn Zuko break is going just as great as mine... I really struggled to put this all together (I hate beginnings with passion) It's slow but we are going to speed things up with time. (I still love cliffhangers). 
> 
> I was expressing my struggles on tumblr 😅 https://renegadeoftheworld.tumblr.com/

Zuko sat close enough to the group of merchants to avoid an accusation that he felt too important to sit with them, but far enough to have some peace. He was looking into the fire, focusing on not bending it, he’d already slipped a few times and the fire matched his breaths but gladly no one noticed.

_Why would they?_

He was just an orphaned scribe, a refuge from the war territory in the west Earth Kingdom.

The group of merchants debated over something for over an hour, firstly, Zuko tried to follow their conversation but it had no point. Now, he was slowly starting to panic. After the symptoms of starvation disappeared, he has never felt hungry in Mr. Xaalo’s household. So, when his stomach made the first quiet noise it brought some nasty memories.

Theoretically, he knew that neither of the merchants ate yet, or that they hadn’t got a reason to refuse him his portion of food. Mr. Xaalo paid for his fare, completely ignoring Zuko’s protests that he could’ve done it himself.

When the bald merchant – Cha – put six bowls on the ground and started filling them with stew Zuko felt relief. Everyone walked to the temporary cook to take their portion, so Zuko quickly climbed to his feet and waited at the end of the queue. Cha looked a little surprised when he saw him, for a second anxiety returned with full force, then the man handed a bowl to Zuko.

“Thank you, Sir,” Zuko said bowing in the Earth Kingdom’s style.

The man tilted his head, frowning at Zuko and after dreadful seconds of silence, he said, “Um, yeah… you’re welcome.”

As fast as he could, without making it look weird Zuko returned to his previous spot near the fire. He felt weird looks from the merchants. _Was he eating too fast?_ He tried to disguise his hunger but apparently, it hadn’t worked. He shouldn’t even be this hungry, there was a possibility that his mind exaggerated the feeling. Nonetheless, Zuko finished his portion first.

* * *

On the second day of the travel, Zuko felt bad for not helping with setting the camp. Maybe it was the reason he has been getting those weird looks. So, when they stopped for the second night, Zuko took the tent he had slept the previous night in and started unfolding it. He’d never used a similar one, but it couldn’t be too difficult.

He was struggling a bit with lines and bolts but after few attempts, he finally figured them out. His bad leg didn’t like the squats he has been doing, after a whole day of riding an ostrich horse it throbbed with objections. Zuko massaged his tensed muscle, thinking what to do next with the tent.

Someone walked from behind a carriage. “Oh, Spirits! Here you are,” the woman – Tena – released a sight. She looked at Zuko’s tent. “You don’t have to fight with it, kid. We will deal with it after we finish with carriages. Just like yesterday.”

She was looking at him with a smile that didn’t look hostile. Zuko felt a little embarrassed when he glanced at his construction. He didn’t like to be helpless. “It’s fine… I, um… I almost have it done.”

She looked skeptically at his staff laying on the ground next to the tent. “Aren’t you injured?”

“It’s nothing,” Zuko shrugged. He wasn’t sure how to balance being self-sufficient, and respectful. “You don’t have to do it for me, Ma’am.”

The weird smile of the woman changed into a soft grin. “At least let me show you a quicker way, okay?”

Zuko blushed, looked at his poorly-looking construction, and nodded.

* * *

After the scribe proposed to do chores around the camp no one had any idea how on earth this boy – _this boy_ – had some kind of relationship with Xaalo. Was he immune to Xaalo’s influence or had the old man had a soft spot somewhere?

They expected an insolent little shit, but they got a silent, polite, maybe even a bit scared lad.

Damn… now, they all felt bad for giving the boy a cold shoulder for half of their journey. Still, two days to change it.

* * *

The looks ended but the merchants actually started to try having conversations with him, which was way worse. Two of them surrounded him during the ride and started asking about some irrelevant things. Gladly, when they get tired of Zuko’s stuttering and one-word-answers they began exchanging stories about stupid things they have done as teenagers.

“How about you?” the taller man asked, bumping Zuko with his fist. It came from his good side, so Zuko saw it coming, a gesture familiar after he had spent an afternoon with the chatty guard. “Anything interesting in your scribey life? I doubt you have something better than Ju Jing’s barn invasion tho,” he said laughing.

To be honest, the barn invasion didn’t sound thrilling at all, but both men almost fell from their animals during the story. Zuko wondered what would have happened if he told them about his time in Pohuai Stronghold.

The corner of his lips twitched slightly as he shook his head. “Nothing interesting.”

They glanced at the left side of his face for a moment too long, but then they continued the conversation with another story without asking about the scar.

* * *

“Do you want seconds, Lee?” the group’s cook asked when Zuko was chewing his last bite of the dinner. It was the last night he was supposed to spend with the merchants. Zuko wasn’t sure if he was relieved that nothing bad had happened or terrified of meeting his new _employers_. “We resupply tomorrow anyway.”

Zuko was trying to stop the instincts he had acquired. He’d noticed that he felt calmer when he knew there was food nearby, even when he wasn’t hungry. He had an irrational fear that they would deny him another meal. He was perfectly aware it was paranoiac – he could hear Mr. Xaalo’s witty remark in the back of his mind – but he couldn’t help it.

He really hoped it would pass with time. He was fucked-up enough, no need to add more to the list.

“Come on…” said the cook handing the bowl in Zuko’s direction. “It will get cold.”

Zuko might’ve developed newfound anxiety, triggered by a lack of food, but he wouldn’t overeat himself. It would do more harm than good, and he knew it wouldn’t have much sense. He glanced on the full bowl of noodles, maybe he would eat two, three at best, just for its taste.

“I’m already almost full,” he said in the politest way he could. He hasn’t upset them yet and he wanted to keep it this way. “Thank you, Sir.”

“ _Almost_ ,” she repeated giving him a weird smile. “Fill your ‘almost’ and I’m gonna take care of the rest.”

Zuko reluctantly took the bowl, deciding that making more fuss about it would make them angry. Besides, the noodles were good. Not like Mr. Xaalo’s but still good.

“You will get fat Tena,” the cook sneered.

The woman stole one noddle from the bowl Zuko was holding and dramatically put it into her mouth. “Do I look like I care? Also, fuck of and mind your own chunky ass.”

Zuko carefully observed the weird argument. They didn’t look angry at each other and – which was more confusing – they both were skinny. Zuko jumped a little when the merchant on his right released a loud sigh.

“All of you are a bunch of fools,” he grinned massaging his actually stout stomach. Zuko stopped looking when for a second the man looked a little too similar to Uncle. “More to love is better.”

Everyone chuckled and Zuko smiled sadly – he could imagine uncle saying the exact same thing.

* * *

The merchants took the road that let them drop Zuko just in front of Beifong’s gates. He took his few belongings off the ostrich horse’s back, looking at the intimidating estate in front of him. _Was it really a good idea?_ He had nowhere to go, and Mr. Xaalo voted for him, he couldn’t break his trust and flee.

“Are you stressed?”

Zuko glanced at the merchant. “Yeah,” he muttered in response.

“Don’t worry, kid! You’ve charmed Xaalo the bastard, you will deal with Beifongs.”

Zuko scowled at ‘charmed’… he had no idea what had happened but in fact, he and the noble really created a weird bond. But there was no _charming_ involved, Zuko was not charming. But it wasn’t pitying either… seriously, Zuko had no idea what had happened, any explanation he could think of wasn’t believable.

“Remember to write to Xaalo,” said the woman. “Or otherwise, he will strangle us… I hope the trip wasn’t bad?”

“I will. The trip was really nice. Thank you.”

The merchants were ready to depart and after a short and awkward goodbye, Zuko was left alone in front of the estate. The whole area was surrounded by a huge wall so he couldn’t see much. He braced himself and knocked with a golden mechanism with a golden-winged boar on it. He heard some shuffling on the other side of the door and then two guards stood in front of him.

He has been thinking about what he should say but suddenly when he realized he was standing in front of two earthbenders his mind went blank. Thankfully, one of the men spoke first.

“Are you the scribe?” he asked analyzing Zuko carefully. He gripped his staff tighter and nodded. “Come with us. Mr. Beifong is expecting your arrival.”

The feeling of being flanked by earthbenders was familiar – Zuko hasn’t missed it. They lead him through an impressive garden with ponds, small bridges, and various flowers. Zuko couldn’t take a closer look though, he was too busy trying to gather his thoughts. A group of servants gathered nearby, giving Zuko curious glances. He could hear his heart pumping his blood, which wasn’t a good sign. It was normal that the guards accompanied a newcomer, neither of the men wasn’t giving him any special attention beyond their duties.

_Just a scribe…_

_…until he finds a solution._

There were few impressive buildings, the guards lead him to the one connected with the main house. The architecture was different from the palace’s but Zuko thought the main idea of separate buildings or wings was similar. The biggest building was a family house, the one hidden in the background was probably meant for staff, so the one he just entered was most likely for business purposes.

Zuko was right, after walking through a long corridor and an announcement he stood in front of a huge desk in a nicely decorated room with various flowers. Mr. Beifong looked like a classic noble – fancy clothes, straight back, and a look of a person that knew that is better than you, but there was something gentle in his appearance, so he didn’t remind him of Farther. He half-glanced at Zuko, focusing on the papers in front of him.

“I assume you are Lee,” he said.

In the corner of the room, a man in small glasses placed on the very edge of his nose was giving Zuko a withering look. He was holding some scrolls under one arm and a clipboard in the other.

Zuko bowed quickly. “Yes, Mr. Beifong. It’s pleasure to meet you,” he said a line that he’d practiced earlier in his head.

_Just make a good impression and then you won’t have to see the swell again._

“Xaalo’s discovery…” the man continued. The way he pronounced Mr. Xaalo’s name was saying a lot about the nobleman’s relationship, he glanced at the other man, who was probably an assistant of some sort.

_Dandy and I have some disputes, but we respect each other business enough that it shouldn’t concern you._

“For such a young age your skills are quite impressive.”

“Thank you, Sir,” Zuko bowed, this time, only with his head. He kept an eye on the figure in the corner, he was making Zuko uneasy, he hasn’t stopped piercing him with his small eyes.

“My condolences… That’s a lot to live through for such a young age – ”

_Your tragic backstory is quite impressive so we will dull it a bit… Enough to raise sympathy and deter further questions, but we don’t want to give Beifong a heart attack._

“Well… there’s no need to stay in the past,” Mr. Beifong rubbed his hands and hide them in his sleeves. The other man stepped forward, scribbling something on his clipboard.

_The spoiled fob will uncomfortable even thinking about it, he will feel like your savior._

“Are you ready for a fresh start, young man?” Mr. Beifong asked politely.

 _Let him be the savior_.

“Yes. Thank you for giving me the opportunity, Sir” Zuko answered humbly.

The man from the corner stopped two steps in front of Zuko giving him the most judging look Zuko has ever seen. “At least he’s well-spoken… Less for me to correct,” he said under his breath. “Though we have to make him look like a scribe, not a gardener.” The man noted more things and turned to Mr. Beifong. “Anything else, Sir, before I take him?”

“I think that’s all. Thank you,” Mr. Beifong nodded to the man, then looked back at Zuko. “Welcome to the estate, Lee.”

Zuko’s answers were slowed down by stress, so before he managed to articulate anything the man with the clipboard already marched past him, Mr. Beifong wasn’t paying him any more attention.

“After me! We don’t have time.”

Zuko made a quick bow towards the noble, even though he wasn’t looking at him – he couldn’t mess this up.

The man with the clipboard shouldn’t be so fast. Zuko had to run a little to catch up, his bag and staff weren’t helping. He couldn’t even take a closer look at his new surroundings.

“The stick. It’s a cane?” the man asked with disgust.

“Yes, Sir. But – “

Zuko wanted to explain that he actually didn’t need it to move around anymore, but without looking at him the man growled, “You will get a regular one, I don’t want to see that thing anymore.”

Zuko wanted to explain that it wouldn’t be necessary, but the man already spoke again.

“Before everything else, I have to take care of that appearance. It’s unacceptable.”

Zuko was glad the man was ignoring him. He wasn’t sure which part of his _appearance_ needed fixing… Clothes? His scrawny figure that wasn’t yet back to normal? Looking too much Fire Nation? Or maybe the scar covering half of his face? The list was long and not all things could be changed.

The man led him to a small room, an old woman sitting in the corner sewing something. She looked up at the clipboard wielder and frowned. “What do you want?”

“You to give the boy a haircut.”

Zuko subconsciously scratched his scalp. His hair has grown since the last haircut. _Since the North._ Now, some stands were falling on his forehead, the part where once had been his phoenix tail slightly longer than the rest, but it wasn’t that visible. At least he’d thought so…

Zuko shivered at the memory of his last haircut.

He was so cold, and scared, and he couldn’t breathe because of a hand choking him.

“Any specific requirements?” the woman asked with a smile that looked fake.

“Not too short. Just do something so he won’t look shaggy, then he can grow it.” Zuko didn’t miss a subtle glance on his scar. “Fast, please.”

The lady rolled her eyes and put a stool in the middle of the room. “Sit here, boy,” she instructed.

It was just a room, not a cell.

He wasn’t bound and forced to obey with cold whips and violent punches.

His hair didn’t matter anymore… It was no longer symbolic; he was no longer Fire Nation.

_Not until he figures out how to make things right._

Zuko endured the haircut. The lady was behind him, the clipboard man wasn’t paying him any attention, so no one has seen how measured his breaths were during the process. It wasn’t bad itself – the lady was quick and precise; she’d barely touched him. Zuko was glad she wasn’t turning his head to the sides, like the palace’s hairdresser used to when he was young.

“Acceptable,” the clipboard approved with a quick nod. “Let’s carry on.”

* * *

The home was boring – nothing new here.

Toph wandered through the gardens, she could feel the guards that were tracking her steps on her right, a group of servants gathered in the backyard, some stressed guy escorted by the guards to meet her father. She wouldn’t have tripped in those damned gardens even if she couldn’t see with earthbending. Someone could put iron shoes on her feet, and she would be perfectly aware of every stupid plant.

She was so sick of this constant boredom, to the point she would be happy if an earthquake happened. Maybe she would be the one responsible for it…

The Earth Rumble Five saved her home from a boredom-earthquake caused by her bare hands and feet.

Five days and she would be a champion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My comment begging went AMAZING under the Rock Bottom's finale... Really guys I was answering them all in my work hours for two days. I don't mind doing it again.
> 
> Let's chat. I find it adorable that merchants adopted Zuko, such a polite young man. Everyone just assumes he's an asshole (true but deep inside) because he's buddies with Xaa <3\. I Iwas so nostalgic in Xaa's "flashback lines" damnnnn my dear man. That's from me. now your turn to comment (pretty please I do hate beginnings)
> 
> Is there something that is unclear? More things will be clarified in time but I don't want to miss anything!
> 
> Also, TOPHHHHHH and her earthquake tendencies.
> 
> OH I FORGOT. The title - you know blind toph is quite obvious.... but the meaning of the idiom kinda shows Zuko's mindset 😶
> 
> summary: Rock Bottom: Zuko is barely alive but he runs into a family that provides him basic kindness and help, but then he dumps them and wanders the Earth Kingdom alone. He becomes a beggar and almost dies of starvation. His limp isn't doing great either. Then The Bastard Xaalo himself appears and they do some serious bonding and (3+) therapy sessions. Zuko became a coffee addict. Due to Zuko's restlessness and _reasons _Xaalo wasn't so obvious about Zuko is send to Beifongs.__
> 
> _  
> _It sounds like nothing but a serious development happened. I really encourage you to read (or re-read if there's a need) if you just find this story._  
>  _


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys! The Earth Rumble 5 is one Earth Rumble before the gang arrives (it happens at ER6)
> 
> For plot reasons I'm establishing that 5 and 6 happen in a span of two weeks.

_Only four days until she shows who was the best earthbender_ , Toph thought sneaking back to the home after her secret practice. Now, all she had to endure Master Yu’s boring lessons.

She could do it – she would do anything to keep the Earth Rumble secret.

Sneaking back was easy, when she could feel steps of everyone around, after checking a few enters, she decided that the route close to the staff’s building was the best. Sneaking under one window she overheard an argument of her favorite tailor and the dull father’s assistant.

Later this day she would have to sneak again and check the grounds around the bending arena – she couldn’t risk any of her parent’s guards notice her when she would be more concerned with planning her fights.

She wanted to kick Boulder’s ass first.

* * *

_Absolutely do not firebend until you know every single routine of every single person in Beifong’s house. For bigger things use your paranoia and be sure no one, absolutely no one can see you. Am I clear, Flamethrower?_

The small room had only one bed, desk, and a closet – it was all his. Zuko had mentally prepared himself for sharing a room with another servant because Beifongs had a lot of staff, unlike Mr. Xaalo. Yet, the angry man with a clipboard – who hadn’t introduced himself – had shown him that single room.

“Um, it’s only mine, Sir?” Zuko had asked.

The man had looked at him annoyed. “If you want to be a mere servant tell me about it,” he’d growled. “From what I know you are supposed to be a scribe.”

“I’m sorry, Sir,” Zuko had apologized, even though he wasn’t sure why he’d gotten the scolding.

Now, he was sitting on his small bed, cross-legged, doing simple breathing exercises to brace himself for the day. He had leaned his staff over the door, so he would stop meditation on time. He had been told that the scribes always meet for briefing before breakfast.

Zuko wasn’t thrilled but he put on the spare clothes from his bag and carefully unlocked the door. The hall was quiet – too quiet. Zuko spotted two men leaving one of the rooms, they headed to the place where the meeting was supposed to be. He walked after them, limping slightly, his leg usually felt a little off in the mornings. Zuko wanted to stop using the cane for good, it was high time to do it.

Clipboard sat behind a massive desk in a cluttered room with a row of chairs placed alongside the walls. He wore the same annoyed expression from yesterday. There were five other scribes in the room – two women and three men. All of them had at least one strand of grey hair, the oldest looking woman had a massive bun of grey curls, matching her wrinkled face.

All of them were at least three times older than Zuko.

All of them turned to him when he entered the room. Some frowning in confusion, others scowling.

One man with sideburns smirked. “Servant boy, have some respect and wait until we are finished,” he scoffed.

Zuko could tell his body shrunk, the well-known feeling of being unwelcomed crushing over his shoulders. He glanced at the Clipboard, naively hoping he would say something, but the man was more concerned with papers on his desk.

Zuko cleared his clenched throat. “I’m a scribe.”

The man seized him from head to toe. “I don’t think so,” he said.

Zuko noticed how the scribe’s clothes differed from his own. Their robes were well fitted, with tapering cuffs that wouldn’t go in the way while writing. The fabric looked soft, a deep shade of green with bony white details around the collar and waist, a golden emblem placed on the front. Meanwhile, Zuko’s robes were fine but simple, nowhere close to the scribe’s elegance.

“I don’t know if you can _see_ that,” the man emphasized looking at Zuko’s face with a playful smile. “But we are about to discuss important matters, so stop your foolish act.”

Zuko had already been greeted by a slur about his face. The first thing Mr. Xaalo had said to him was an insult, and later he’d said many more. Some of them had hurt, the others only annoyed him. Later, he’d learned that the noble rarely meant what he said, had always waited for a reaction, carefully observing what his words achieved. He had been ready for response, anticipating the continuation of those small battles of his. Most of the times – if not in all of them – Zuko had lost, but his retort attempts had been heard and (maybe) appreciated.

Now, Zuko wasn’t famished, still desperate but not as much as he’d been in that florist shop. The venomous comment made his inner flame twist in his gut.

Maybe he reacted like this because the man with sideburns wasn’t looking at him anymore, not paying attention to the result of the words.

Zuko realized that he’s forgotten how it felt to be disdained.

“I am not – “

“Silence,” the man behind the desk growled. “Everyone sit down. We don’t have time for this.”

The scribes looked between Zuko and Clipboard. He limped to the chair as far away from the scribe as possible. Everything was buzzing as the Clipboard started talking about tasks for today. He told other scribes that Zuko was one of them, everyone nodded, slight surprise on their faces, but the man with sideburns frowned in annoyance.

“As you can see Lee is young, but his skills might be already better than yours. I have to check how fast he can write in the quality he presented in the letter I’ve seen,” Clipboard said.

Zuko blushed after the words of praise until the anxiety squeezed his chest. He didn’t know if he was, in fact, better than the rest of the scribes. He didn’t need to be better than them. He just wanted some time in peace, he just wanted to blend in, and now, they would see him as a threat.

When he looked up, he accidentally crossed his gaze with the old woman with a huge bun, she analyzed him for a moment and then smiled lightly. Zuko averted his head and looked at his feet for the rest of the meeting. It turned out the scribes currently worked on copying something, Zuko was supposed to join them in the communal office later.

For a moment, Zuko thought that Clipboard forgot about him, the man buried his nose in another pile of documents. He jumped when the man suddenly stood and stormed to the door. “After me!”

Zuko wasn’t sure where they were going but he obediently followed. The pace was fast but this time he managed to take a closer look at decorated corridors, and expensive rugs. It wasn’t the palace’s level of splendor but still impressive for the Earth Kingdom, that was supposed to be _‘rudimentary among the poor and undeveloped among the wealth’_ … Zuko has noticed early in his banishment that some of the information he has been taught weren’t accurate. Back then, he’d cared only about the Avatar.

Now, he tried to admire de pretty designs without falling into memories of the palace’s halls from his childhood.

“You need proper attire before you touch any of the papers.”

Clipboard stopped in the same room where the old woman gave him a haircut yesterday. Said woman, and a couple of others sat in the corners working on colorful fabrics. She looked up when the man blocked her from the good light. “What now?” she growled, daggers in her eyes.

“Scribe’s garb in the boy’s size.”

The woman looked at Zuko, daggers in her eyes disappeared. “The hair suits you.”

“Um… thanks,” Zuko muttered surprised, a blush already climbing his cheeks.

“I don’t have time for this,” Clipboard growled.

The woman glared back at him. “Always so fast,” she mocked and disappeared behind the back door. Clipboard inhaled suddenly, looking really affronted by what she’d said. Zuko just tried to do something not awkward with his arms when the woman was gone.

She came back with a green robe in her arm.

“This is the last design but it’s the best I can do before I make a new one for him,” she said putting nicely folded clothes on her desk. She took a measure from her pocket. “Come here.”

Zuko took a hesitant step to towards her, his knee buckled slightly, at this point, it wasn’t even painful. She noticed it and was about to say something but Clipboard spoke first, “Also, a cane. He won’t move around with that ridiculous stick he had yesterday.”

“Huh… so you just let a boy with bad leg fatigue because you don’t like his walking stick?”

Zuko didn’t like the tension that was building around him. “Actually, I – “ Zuko was interrupted again.

“Bring the cane, take his measurements, and stop wasting my time,” the man admonished.

The woman raised Zuko’s arms with a quick motion, he’s never liked fittings back in the palace but he knew he was supposed to keep his arms up. Then he remembered.

A proper fitting wasn’t done in clothes and Zuko couldn’t show them his back.

_Do not practice shirtless or do any other dumb teenage shit... We cleared your backstory of any criminal record and your speech skills wouldn’t handle lying out of the mosaic on your back._

When Zuko was on a good way to panicking, already lowering his arms so the woman couldn’t touch him or his clothes, she glared at someone behind him. “To do it properly I should at least take the top off, but because of Mr. Fast over there we don’t have time.” She hid her face beside Zuko’s figure and smiled smugly. “Up!” she repositioned his arms again, Zuko let her. He hoped she wouldn’t feel thundering of his heart. “Oh… someone’s stressed,” she teased.

Zuko endured the measurements and embarrassment, gladly, the woman hasn’t made any further comments. Around the end of the process, one of the woman’s assistances brought a wooden cane and handed it to Clipboard.

“Done. Step by in two days and it should be ready.”

“Thank you, Ma’am.”

Clipboard pushed the cane and clothes to Zuko’s arms. “Change, go to the dining hall for a quick meal, and I want to see you in the office.”

Zuko didn’t have time to respond as the man disappeared in the corridors.

* * *

One of the bastards sat at _their_ table in the dining hall.

Scribes always ate first when maids were doing morning cleaning. They always got everything fresh and warm when maids had to eat lukewarm leftovers – that happened only twice after bigger banquets when the cleaning took longer than usual, but that was not the point. The point was that scribes thought they were better than everyone else and couldn’t miss a single occasion to show it.

“Please tell me I’m hallucinating,” Moshi said through clenched teeth.

The twins on her right looked at each other, then all three of them glared at the figure sitting at _their_ table.

“I think it’s a new one,” Ba said.

“Clearly younger than the rest,” Oke added.

The man’s hair was short and black, unlike the rest of hairy grey-heads. It only made everything worse – the old bastards send a newbie to vex them. Moshi usually kept her mouth shut when old scribes made comments about her or her work, but she wouldn’t stop herself from punching the stripling in the face if he tried.

“I can’t believe the old bags of ink already corrupted the newbie,” Ba sighed.

Oke shrugged and crossed her arms. “Maybe they didn’t have to. Scribes are born assholes.”

All three of them nodded, even though, in fact, the only scribes they knew were the ones working for Beifongs. But that was not the point.

“Three against one, ladies,” Moshi said with a wicked smile on her lips. “We got this round.”

Moshi waited for a revenge opportunity since the woman with an awful cocoon on her head had told her that her work was irrelevant, just after she’d cleaned her dirty room of some ugly, sticky powder. The scribing witch had suggested she should find a rich husband, but after a second she changed her mind saying that Moshi wasn’t _‘pretty enough'_ to do it.

Gladly she was _pretty enough_ to show the writing asshole where he should put his pens and parchments.

They walked to the boy from the back, when they got closer it turned out he might be their age – he couldn’t be older than twenty-something. Not with that smooth face and rigid posture. Somehow the age similarity made Moshi angrier.

Moshi gestured to the twins to wait behind when she stormed to face the guy. She slammed her hands on the table in front of him. “What do you think you are doing, _Scribe_?” she snarled.

The first thing she noticed, was that the guy’s skin wasn’t as smooth as she thought… A huge scar covered half of his face. He jumped in his chair, looking at her with wide eyes… eye actually.

“I – I’m… eating?” he stuttered, glancing at the plate in front of him. He looked around and noticed Oke and Ba standing behind him.

Moshi put on a fake smile. “Oh _… the scribe is eating_ ,” she said as if she was talking to a child. “Since when mighty scribes can eat when a mediocre folk,” She gestured at three of them, “is around.”

The boy put down his chopsticks. Moshi was ready for him to drop the scared act and told something venomous but the boy only nervously glanced around. “I – I don’t know what you mean,” he said not looking Moshi in the face.

 _The poor newbie_ wouldn’t expect that maids can bark back; old bastards must’ve missed that detail.

“I mean…” she said with a stern voice and straight face. “This is _our_ table and _our_ breakfast time.”

The guy looked at the table as if he expected to find a name tag. Moshi thought that when his shock pass, he would argue back… Say something about how a meaningless maid shouldn’t tell him what to do… Moshi had a couple of answers for that and she wished to use them all.

The boy stood up, glancing between all three of them, Moshi took a deep breath preparing to continue her revenge. But then the scribe said something that took her off guard.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, she barely understood the word. “I didn’t know… I… sorry.”

The boy backed away from the table, leaving his unfinished breakfast. Moshi was too shocked to do anything besides watching him escaping from the dining hall. She shared a look with the twins that looked just as dumbfounded.

She felt a weird feeling in her chest that deepened when the boy turned around and walked back to the table, avoiding their eyes at all cost. He took a wooden cane leaning over the chair. “Sorry… I have to… not that I need, but they…” he stopped the quiet mumble. “Sorry.”

The boy almost ran out of the hall, supporting his steps with the cane.

Moshi's chest was squeezed with a feeling that wasn’t pleasant at all.

Oke broke the uncomfortable silence. “I think you just rebuked an innocent one.”

Moshi slumped onto the empty chair. “No shit…” she growled; the awful feeling settled in her chest for good. She buried her face in her palms. “Why do I feel so terrible?”

“I guess the cane made it worse,” Ba suggested.

Moshi growled into her palms; it was true – the cane made it way worse. She glanced at the boy’s unfinished breakfast and lost her own appetite.

_Damned scribes._

* * *

Fortunately, the work assigned for the day was simple because Zuko was a ball of buzzing stress and anger. He only copied some documents and from time to time the old woman with a bun – Eva – checked his work and nodded approvingly.

Zuko tried to understand how he could've got himself new people who hated his guts by just eating. The angry lady had something that reminded him of Azula. The scribes weren’t fond of him either. They barely acknowledged his presence, except for the old woman but she probably had been told to keep an eye on him.

He missed the comfort of the noble’s house.

Because of his disgraceful escape from breakfast, he was hungry after barely two hours of writing. He wasn’t as panicked as during the trip but he didn’t like the feeling. He was so grateful when one of the scribes stood up from the desk and announced a dinner break.

Zuko felt like a coward for being relieved after the day ended without another encounter with those ladies. He was exhausted after a whole day of being on his toes but he had a letter to write before he could rest.

He sat at his small table and started writing requested affirmation of his safe journey. 

Zuko hasn't mentioned any details of his first day - no need to disappoint Mr. Xaalo.

* * *

Toph sat at the table with her parents trying not to smash anything.

“ – We think you should start some correspondence with that young gentleman, he is really – “

Her mother has been talking about some dude, that Toph was supposed to talk to, for the last fifteen minutes. But Toph wasn’t sure what was this all about, she had more important issues to think about.

_How a stupid illegal earthbending tournament could require a form?!_

_Why did she need a form to kick some butts?!_

It was so stupid.

Theoretically, she could just arrive there, beat everyone, and go home… But she really wanted that belt. So, she needed a stupid form. For illegal competition. She wanted to rip the stupid piece of paper hidden in her dress.

“ – So, tomorrow after your lessons Master Yu will lead you to a scribe so you could add something. The rest of the letter is of course written, so you don’t have to feel any pressure, sweetheart,” her mother said.

_Huh…_

“Yes, mum,” she answered like a perfect daughter.

An idea started forming in her head… 

She had three days to make the plan work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first day of Zuko as a scribe <3
> 
> As you can see I'm making a lot Xaalo's references because he totally gave Zuko's many lectures how to act. I hope you feel nostalgic just as I do.
> 
> Also, I hope the amount of side characters wasn't overwhelming. I want to make a "vibe" of the house and thinks that are happening here but tell me if it was too much. Though I really enjoy writing the small parts where Clipboard and tailor lady hates each other guts XDD
> 
> Mean Maids bullied poor Zuko. At least they feel bad for it... Zuko will gat a heart attack if they decide to apologize or some other crazy shit like that 
> 
> I'm giving you Toph in small doses but as you can see she is already planning something 😈 I would gladly listen to your opinions on her because I cant really find her voice yet (seriously it was easier to write the maid than Toph)
> 
> As always bring some comments!! I would love to chat about anything!
> 
> Check the Tumblr and find more sketches, this time from rock bottom! (i don't do much there, a scroll or two and you should see the art and artist's profile!)  
> https://renegadeoftheworld.tumblr.com/
> 
> Any ideas about Toph's wicked plans??


End file.
